Taming Black
by Alpha29King
Summary: The sequel to "Pink Mirabel". Ichigo struggles with his newest capture and then catches a third Pokemon. He also meets some new friends.


**Taming Black**

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**Summary: The sequel to "Pink Mirabel". Ichigo struggles with his newest capture and then catches a third Pokemon. He also meets some new friends.**

**AN: If you're wondering why I'm doing it like this, it's because I wanted to do it in the style of one of my favorite fic authors.**

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"Get back here!" Ichigo snarled as he rushed through the forest.

In front of him, a flash of black and dark gray fur faded in and out of sight through the brush. His freshest catch gave no sign that it heard his order or that it even cared. A flash of pink and yellow behind the boy, as Mirabel desperately tried to keep up.

'_Ahh! Good for nothing, little… Argh! I turn around for one second!'_

Taming Black seemed to be a losing battle. He didn't like to be confined in his Pokeball, so Ichigo tried to let the Poochyena out as often as possible. But if his wasn't vigilant, Black would look a chance to make his escape. The Poochyena wouldn't follow him, and when he tried to carry it, the Pokemon would throw a Bite at him. His first official catch since the beginning of his journey turned out to be anti-social to the extreme. It had even tried to pick fights with Mirabel.

Barely the beginning of the second day into his journey, he stumbled upon the Poochyena. It was eating some berries from a bush, and it took a while before it noticed the boy and the shiny Pokemon. Catching the little mutt was too hard. If at all. It took only one good Brick Break from Mirabel to weaken it enough for capture. Afterward, Ichigo found out that it was male using his Pokedex. When he tried introducing Black to the Mawile, the dark-type seemed to dislike the steel-type.

Things didn't get any better when he had made another capture the next day. Coming across a calm and gentle stream, he whipped out his new fishing pole and used it like a master, even though he never fished his entire life. A good-sized female Feebas, though he wanted a Magikarp for a Gyarados or a Carvanha for a Sharpedo, had immediately gone after the bait, and with assistance from Mirabel, had caught it without trouble. The moment that Black met the yellow fish, he threw sand on it and pointedly ignored it.

Finding out that Feebas evolves into Milotic from his Pokedex, he named her Helena. Finally, he had caught his first contest Pokemon. His team was dysfunctional, at best. Mirabel and Helena were great, as they got along great. Ichigo's theory was because they were girls. But the moment that Black got out, all hell would break loose.

'_Argh! This is a nightmare!'_ Ichigo grimaced as he felt his temper rising. _'At this rate, we're never gonna be ready to take on a gym or enter a contest.'_

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was thinking of sending Black away. Once he'd caught another Pokemon or two, he would get to a Pokemon Center PC and send the Poochyena back to Karakura Town where it would live on Professor Urahara's reserve. Then Ichigo would have to deal with the headache.

'_But that would be quitting… and I don't wanna quit! I want Black to be the toughest it can be! I just want him to get over his troubling tendencies. Plus its Poison Fang is a bonus.'_

Wheezing for breath, Ichigo tried for one last burst of speed to close the gap to recapture his runaway. Black lunged into a bush and Ichigo followed with Mirabel right behind him. And then he crashed into someone.

"Get off me…"

Ichigo hurriedly scrambled off the body, which was female according to the sound of the voice. But once he got a look at who he had collided with, he realized it was somebody he didn't know. It was a girl with short blond hair and deep purple eyes.

"What the heck?" a gruff, somewhat high-pitched voice muttered.

Snapping his gaze away from the blond-haired, purple-eyed girl, he found two other unfamiliar faces a few feet away. There was a boy in a hooded coat with red hair sticking out from underneath the hood, blue eyes and a scarf, which covered his mouth. And then there was a rather weird-looking boy with a red top hat and glasses, and black hair with a blond highlight and grey eyes… who happened to have Black dangling by his tail.

"Who are you guys?" Ichigo blinked, as Mirabel stumbled through the brush and flopped to the ground, panting

Ichigo's question remained unanswered for a few moments while the hooded boy helped the girl to her feet. The boy in the top hat stared at Ichigo intensely. The only sounds were Black growling and snarling at being dangled upside-down and Mirabel panting.

The girl answered first.

"My name is Lirin and that's Noba," she said motioning at the hooded boy, who only nodded.

"I am Kurodo," the boy in the top hat said with a bow without releasing Black. "And you are?"

"The name's Ichigo Kurosaki and I'm a trainer from Karakura Town," he introduced himself. "What are you guys doing here?"

* * *

Ichigo hunkered down by a campfire and stared glumly into the flickering flames as dusk started to deepen into full night. Mirabel was asleep away from the fire since she was a steel-type. Helena would have been out, but the only water around was in the collapsible fire bucket. Black was behaving for the time being, starting into the fire and pointedly ignoring all the humans present.

As it turned out, Lirin and her two friends were from an academy, as if the uniforms they were wearing weren't enough to identify them as students. They had chosen to go camping for a field trip for the weekend. Ichigo followed them back to a clearing with plenty of grass. After talking with one of the teachers, a man with long white hair named Jushiro Ukitake, in charge of the trip, Ichigo was aloud to stay the night with the students. After setting his things on the edge of the clearing, Ichigo got bombarded with questions from the other academy students.

"What is like to travel alone?" was one of the questions.

"Why would your parents let you go on a journey by yourself?" was another one.

But the most common was, "Where did you get that off-colored Mawile?"

On Ichigo's left sat Lirin, his unfortunate victim. Though he had just met her earlier that day, he found out that she was VERY talkative. Noba, Kurodo and three other kids sitting around the fire with were desperate for her to shut up. The other three kids were a girl with wavy dark purple hair and purple eyes named Cirucci Sanderwicci, a boy with spiky black hair and black eyes and a '69' tattooed under his right eye named Shuhei Hisagi, and an overly hyperactive girl with green hair named Mashiro Kuna. Lirin had a cute Pachirisu on her lap and it sat there quietly, well-mannered in all the ways that Black wasn't.

The other five kids around Ichigo also had a Pokemon with them. Kurodo had a Swablu on his head. Noba had a Ninjask riding on his shoulder. Cirucci had a Farfetch'd cooped up in a makeshift nest of leaves and grass next to her. A Duskull hovered around Shuhei's head. Mashiro had a Meditite meditating beside her.

Throughout his time there, Ichigo got to know a few other kids attending that school, as well as the three teachers supervising the trip. Jushiro Ukitake, the man that aloud Ichigo to spend the night with them, was a calm and gentle man with a huge soft spot for little kids. Hachigen Ushoda was a big man with pink hair and was wearing a green three-piece suit, and had a love for electric types. The third teacher in charge was a man with a red afro named Gantenbainne Mosqueda, and he loved sports and his job (for no apparent reason).

Some of the other kids he got introduce to were just plain weird. The first one was an overly violent girl with blond hair named Hiyori Sarugaki. Other one was an over weight boy named Marechiyo Omaeda, who had snuck a large bag of potato chips onto the trip. Gin Ichimaru was a boy with short silver hair and a creepy smile who loved to play mind games with anybody. Then there Rangiku Matsumoto, a girl with long blond hair, blue eyes and a busty head start, who had managed to steal a few bottles of sake from the academy's headmaster, Genryusai Yamamoto.

"So," Ichigo muttered awkwardly into the atmosphere. "How'd you guys end up going to this academy instead of a Pokemon journey?"

"My parents worry too much," Lirin answered first. "It kinda pisses me off."

"My parents wanted me to have a better education," Kurodo went next. "They thought I wasn't gonna get it in a public school."

"I'm on a soccer scholarship," Shuhei said.

"I am also on a scholarship, but mine is in martial arts," Mashiro answered. "Though I'm in here just to be close to my best friend, Kensei Muguruma."

"I was forced to attend after I got into fight with other girls at my old school," Cirucci replied.

"Noba is in because his dad is former student and a big source of funds for the academy," Lirin answered for the quiet one.

"Oh, okay." Ichigo ate his dinner, which was a bowl of stew.

"How did you get your license?" Kurodo demanded. "I heard that it's really difficult to acquire it."

Ichigo smiled, "It's not hard at all, really. I only took a test that Professor Urahara gave out and passed it quite easily."

"Good luck with that," Shuhei laughed. "With a runaway Poochyena and a pathetically weak Mawile, I bet that the first gym leader you challenge beats you with a single Pokemon."

"I have a Feebas, too," Ichigo started fuming.

"A Feebas?" Shuhei sputtered before dissolving into a fit of hysterical laughter,

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped.

Sure, Feebas were useless. With Splash as their first move, they couldn't do anything and unlike Magikarp, one didn't have to wait forever for it to learn a new move. All somebody had to do was use a Technical Machine or a Hidden Machine to teach the yellow fish a new move. It also takes longer for a trainer to evolve one, because one had to raise Feebas' beauty to do it. A Gyarados is the best choice for a water-type to have, but Milotic is still better that no water-type whatsoever. Beggars can't be choosers.

"Which gym do you plan to challenge first?" Cirucci asked while Shuhei kept on laughing.

"I have no clue," Ichigo shrugged lightly. "My map shows two towns with gyms, but I haven't made up my mind on which one I should go to. Do you guys have any info on the gyms?"

"I'm from Seretei Town," Mashiro said. "I don't know anything about the gym leader, except that it's a woman and that her Pokemon all know the moves Self-destruct or Explosion."

"Hmmm…" Ichigo thought about it. "What about the other one, Rokungai Town?"

"Shhh," Lirin hissed. "You don't wanna challenge that one."

"Why not?" Ichigo asked.

"The gym leader, Kenpachi Zaraki is a tough one," Kurodo cut in. "Very, very, very few had managed to beat him. He uses Pokemon that are super strong and heavily defended. His main one is an Aggron."

"Rokungai Town also has a contest hall, so you'll have a chance of winning there," Lirin added.

"I wish I could go along with you," Shuhei snickered. "It'll be a great show to see either gym leader stomp you down."

"Knock it off, Shuhei!" Ichigo yelled, jumping from his seat, waking up Mirabel. "I'm going to Seretei Town first, then I'm going to Rokungai Town, and I'm going to win both badges and that contest ribbon."

Shuhei started laughing harder again, as if Ichigo had told a hilarious joke instead of making a serious declaration. Ichigo sent the tattooed boy a venomous glare before stalking off into the trees, away from the fire. He didn't go far, since Mirabel and Black were still by the fire, he just wanted to be out of sight for a while.

It was just so frustrating that that boy didn't seem to take him seriously. He was the average student back in Karakura Town. He was also the target for bullying because of his bright orange hair.

He had worked hard to be able to pass the license test. Of course, he had gotten the second best score. He and his friends got together on the weekends, they had a habit of playing pranks around town. That made the entire gang into a bunch of goofballs.

The sound of a snapping twig yanked Ichigo from his angry thoughts. Ichigo turned around to find Jushiro Ukitake a few feet away from him.

"What do you want?" he muttered sullenly, still smarting from Shuhei ridicule.

"Not much," the white haired man sat down on an old trunk. "I heard everything."

"And?" Ichigo said, also sitting down on the trunk.

"I gave Shuhei detention for when we get back to the academy," the teacher replied. "So, having problems with that Poochyena of yours?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded. "Ever since I caught him three days ago."

"Here," the man said, handing Ichigo a silver bell on a white ribbon.

He gratefully took the item form the man's hand and jingled it experimentally. The bell's chime was soft and melodious. It looked a bit similar to the bell collar he had seen on the Meowth owned by the professor's wife, Yoruichi Shihoin. He guessed that it was some kind of hold item. Something to improve the stats and abilities of Pokemon, but he didn't know much about hold items. His parents only gave their Pokemon berries, if they give them anything at all to hold.

"What is this?" he wondered.

"It's a soothe bell," the man said while staring at the starry night sky. "It makes Pokemon friendlier. I thought you might need it with your Poochyena."

Ichigo looked at the man, and then the bell. The teacher was doing this out of pity, he was sure of it. Like any trainer, his pride smarted and he wanted to give the soothe bell back to him and declare that he didn't need it to tame Black. But, it had been almost a week, and the Poochyena's attitude only seemed to be getting worse. Though he hated to admit it, even in the privacy of his own thoughts, he needs something like this.

"You don't need this?" he asked, hoping for an excuse to give it back.

"Nah…" Jushiro shook his head. "I got it in case I've ever caught an aggressive Pokemon, but all of mine ended up being rather friendly. Don't worry, I'll get another one."

'_What kind of Pokemon does this man have?'_ "Ummm… Okay…" he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jushiro got to his feet and walked back toward the camp.

Ichigo waited for a few minutes before heading back as well. He would attach the soothe bell to Black in the morning, when it would still be a bit sleepy. Then, hopefully, he would have a chance to get on the little dog's good side.

…If it had one…

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Ichigo stuck his tongue out at Shuhei as he parted ways from the students the following morning. The academy still had one more full day on their camping trip. Ichigo had decided to take on the Seretei Town gym first, so he headed northwest. He had said his goodbyes to the other students and Shuhei had thrown insulting gesture, only to be smacked on the back of the head by Mister Jushiro.

And then he was out of sight and alone again.

To keep things from getting creepy and quiet, Ichigo released Mirabel and Black from their spherical confinements. Mirabel sang in delight and walked right beside him in her off-tune melody. The happier the Mawile was with him, the more powerful and devastating Return, which was taught to her by Jushiro, would be. He had also allowed the man to teach it to Black, who was less than enthusiastic about it.

As planned, the moment he woke up, he had gotten the Poochyena out to tie the soothe bell around its neck. Black had not reacted well at all. The black and gray puppy thrashed and pawed desperately at the bell in an attempt to remove it with no success. It nearly took the tent he had slept on down in its distress and Ichigo had been force to return it to its Pokeball.

Now it slunk right alongside him, looking thoroughly grumpy in spite of the beautiful chimes that the bell made with every step it took. Ichigo started to feel bad, but he didn't dare take the bell off. Eventually, the little dark puppy will accustomed to wearing it, and then the bell's soothing powers will start to take affect. All he needed to do now is play the waiting game.

The bell also had another awesome, but unexpected benefit: It Black ever tried to sneak off again, he would hear him go.

"Come on Black! Cheer up!" he grinned. "That soothe bell makes you look snazzy and important."

Black growled at him before attempting to use Poison Fang on his feet.

"HEY! No more of that!" he scolded as Mirabel got in the way of the attack to protect Ichigo, since poison-type moves had no affect on steel-types, and the Mawile somehow knew that. "Why are you so mean?"

The Poochyena gave him a fiery glare before stubbornly looking away and ignoring him.

Ichigo sighed and patted Mirabel's head. At least the puppy was following him as he walked now. The first few days with it, he thought he would have to make a leash out of string and drag the little Pokemon along, but now he didn't. It was one positive thing… in a large pile of negative things.

'_Somehow… we'll get through this.'_

Squaring his shoulders, Ichigo marched down on the path that would lead him to his first real destination.

"On to Seretei Town!" he declared. "And our very first gym!"

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**AN: This is getting… whew. I know my system is weird, but don't worry about it.**

**Poll: Later in the story, Ichigo gets a Pokemon egg. I'm leaving to you, the readers, to vote on what will hatch from it. Vote through my profile.**


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